First underground tunnel opens on India’s Chennai Metro

Passenger services will begin on an underground section of the Chennai Metro after its official inauguration at the weekend.

Running from Koyambedu to the Nehru Park area, the 7.4km stretch will be the first underground tunnel on the network.

On Sunday, May 14, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, Thiru Palaniswami, and urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the first passenger services on the line at Thirumangalam metro station.

The Chennai Metro system was opened in 2015 and is made up of two lines: the Green Line – from Chenna Central to St. Thomas Mount – and the Blue Line – from Washermenpet to the airport.

The new stretch will include seven new stations at Thirumangalam, Anna Nagar Tower, Anna Nagar East, Shenoy Nagar, Pachaiyappa’s College, Kilpauk and Nehru Park and has been opened on the Green Line.